Sound-box for talking-machines.



A. A. HUSEBY.

souwo BOX FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATIGN FILED DEC. 22, I916.

Patented May 29, 1917.

ALBERT A HUSEBY, OF CHICAGO. ILLINOIS.

SOUND-BOX FOR TALKIN G-MACI-IIN ES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented May 29, 1917.

Application filed December 22, 1916. Serial No. 138,356.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Annual A. llusuur, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented aorta in new and. useful Improvements in Sound-Boxes for Talking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in sound boxes for talking machines. In view of the extensive use of records of both the vertically undulating and laterally undulating type, eflorts have been made to produce a single sound box that should be capable of playing both kinds of records with equal efficiency, and a considerable number of such sound boxes hav been proposed. So far as I am aware, however, these so-called convertible sound boxes have necessitated a change of position. of the sound box rela- V tively to the tone arm when a record of the other type is to be played, the sound box usually requiring to be shifted through an angle of ninety degrees relatively to the tone arm. Recognizing that it is desirable to produce a sound box that shall be capable of playing both types of record without necessitating any change of position relatively to the tone arm, I have had in view, as the chief object of the present invention, the designing and production of a sound box wherein the stylus lever could be vibrated equally well under either an endwise or a lateral vibration imparted to the point of the stylus by the record groove without involving any relative change of position of the sound box on the tone arm.

Another object of the invention is to-provide an improved means for attaching the upper end of the stylus lever to the dia phragm of the sound box, whereby to insur a connection preventing any warpingstrain on the diaphragm and allowing the latter to vibrate freely and fully responsive to the vibrations of the stylus lever. I

With these objects in View, my invention consists of the new and improvedstructural features in a talking machine sound box herein fully described and more par icularly pointed out "in the claims. v

In order that the principle of my invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood by those familiar with this art, Ihavc, in the accompanying drawing, illustrated one workab e and Pract cal embodiment of the invention, and referring thcrcto,

. Figure 1 isa side elevation, partly in diametric section, of a sound box embodying my improvements, showing also a fragment of the-usual swiveled elbow section of the tone arm to which the sound box is connected.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the sound box shown in Fig. 1.

'Fig. 3 is a substantially bottom plan view,- looking at the point of the stylus as seen in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail view in section through the diaphragm and the upper portion of the stylus lever, showing my improved means of connectingtbc stylus leverto the diaphragm. p I Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional View, illustrating a modified form of the means for transmitting the weight of the sound box to the stylus without strain on the diaphragm.

Fig. dis a view similar to Fig. 4, illustrating a, detachabl stylus lever head and a modification of the means for attaching the same to the diaphragm.

Referring to the-drawings, 5 designates the outer end portion of the usual swiveled elbow section of the tone arm, and 6 desig nates as an entirety the sound box carrying the usual diaphragm 7 Pivotally mounted on pins 8 between a pair of forwardly extending lugs 9 on thelower edge of the sound box is th stylus lover. This latter in-. cludes an upper arm 10 that extends substantially parallel with and radially of the diaphragm 7 and has an inwardly turned upper end portion 11 that is connected to the diaphragm centrally of the latter by the means hereinafter described. 12 designatcs the lower arm of the stylus lever that extends downwardly and inwardly beneath the sound b0x'6 and is provided on its free end with a transversely disposed socket piece 13 carrying the stylus 14; secured therein by the usual set screw 15. On the back side of the sound box'6 is formed a hollow lug 16 that constitutes a housing for a compression spring 17, the lower end of which latter is stepped in a' shallow pocket 18 formed in the upper end of the socket piece 13. The upper end of the spring 17 abuts againsta screw-threaded plug 19, which latter'forms a means for adjusting the force of the spring 17, It will be readily understood that the purpo'seof the spring 17 is to provide an elastic or yielding support for the sound box ,o nfgthe stylus-carrying end of the stylus-- lever, to transmit a portionof the weight of the diaphragm 7 which would result if the weight of the sound box were transmitted.

through the upper and lower arms of the stylus lever. 7

;sound box, which relieves the diaphragm of straln contributes materially to the ethciency,

This elastic support of the sensitiveness and tone-transmitting qualities of the sound box.

the vertically undulating groove type, such as the Edison orthe Path, an endwise vibration imparted to the stylus ll by the record groove will vibrate the arm 12 of the stylus lever on the, pivot pins 8 with a leverage equal to the distance between tie pivot and the axis of the stylus, which vibration will be transmitted through the upper arm 10, 11 to the diaphragm 7, the spring 17 readily permitting suchvibratory movement of the stylus lever. Nhen a record of the laterally uiidulating type, such as the Victor or Columbia, is played, the stylus 14% is vibrated laterally, and this also causes a vibration of the lever arm'12 under a leverage equal to the distance between the point of the stylus and the horizontal plane of the-pivot 8. By 50 shaping and organizing the parts that these leverages are substantially equal, substantially the same vibration eflects are transmitted to the diaphragm when playing the two types of record, and substantially the same soiind transmitting results are secured.

'By producing a sound box capable of playing both types of record with the sound box in single position relatively to the tone arm, and without requiring any shifting of the sound box between two positions in order to play both types of record, my

invention eii'ects a pronounced economy and simplicity in the matter of construction and mode of manipulation,as will be evident to those skilled in the art.

' My invention furthercomprehends animproved means of attaching the stylus lever to the diaphragm, which is best shown in the detail view Fig. 4. Referring to this figure, it will be observed that the inwardly bent upper end portion 11. of the stylus lever is formed with a head 20, in the face of which is a socket 21 and a tapped hole 22 extending inwardly "of the bottom of the socket 21. ,23 designates a centering meme ber consisting of a disk, preferably of the same diameter as the head 20, and a hollow stem or shank 24 that extends through a central aperture 25 in the diaphragm 7 and into the socket 21 of the head 20. Between p such a way as to e'll'e'ctively avoid any i From the foregoing construction it will readily be seen that, in playlng a recordofthe diaphragm.

pair of gaskets-or washers 26 ofiyieldable material such rubber or felt; andthcse parts are all securely united by a clamp screw27 that extends through the hollow stem 2% of the centering member and into the tapped holeQzZ of the head 20. in as sembling, the member 23 accurately centers the head 20 ofthe stylus lever with the tral aperture 250i the diaphragm, and described construction insures the clamp of the stylus lever on the diaphragm ing or twisting strains on the. latter. "Luis isdue to the fact that the friction between .a lug 16 on the rear of the sound box, in lieu of the spring 17, such yielding pad permitting the endwi'se vibration of the stylus when playing dulating type.

i In 6 ll show a slight modification of the means for connecting the stylus lever to In this, case, inste, d of forming the head as an integral part of the lever, I employ a detachable head :20

. forming a threaded joint with the upper end of thelever, and the opposed faces of this head and the head 23 of the centering member are given a protuberant forum-- slightly COHVBXGCl as herein shown, ce, in vibrating, the upper end of the lever moves in the path of a tiny arc, this con struetio'n accommodates such movemer somewhat more perijectly than the construe tion of Fig, 4. I

The principle of the invention is obvious capable of embodiment iir forms 'difli'eri more or less in details from that herein a recprd of the vertically un-' shown; and hence I reserve as within the arm of said lever extending downwardly and inwardly beneath the sound box and at its free end. provided with a transverse stylus socket, and a compression spring between sald socket and the sound box through which a POItlOl'l of the weight of l the latter is 'yieldably transmitted to said lower lever arm.

'2. In a sound box construction, the combination with an apertured diaphragm, of a stylus lever having a socketed diaphragmengaging head, a gaging the other side of the diaphragm and provided with a hollow stein extending through the aperture of the diaphragm and into the socket of said head, and a clampscrew passed through the stem of said centering member and into the headof the stylus lever. 3. In a sound box construction, the combination with an apertured diaphragm, of a stylus lever having a socketed diaphragi engaging head, a centering member engaging the other side of the diaphragm and provided with a hollow stem extending through the aperture of the diaphragm and into the. socket of said head, a pair of washers between the opposite sides of said diaphragm and said centering member and head, respectively, and a clamp-screw passed throughthe stem of said centering member and into the head of the stylus lever. 4:. In a sound box construction, the combination with an apertured diaphragm, of a stylus lever having a socketed diaphragmengaging head formed with a protuberant face, a centering member engaging the other side of the'diaphra m having a diaphragmcentering member en-' engaging head formed with a protuberant face and a hollow the aperture of the stem extending through passed through the stem of said member and into the head of said lever.

5. In a sound box. construction, the combination with an apertured diaphragm, of

a stylus lever having a socketed diaphragmengaging head formed with a protuberant face, a centering member engaging the other 4 the aperture of the diaphragm and into diaphragm. and into'the.v socket of said head, and a clamp-screwcentering the socket of said head, a pair of washers between the opposite sides of and the protuberant faces of said head and centering member, respectively, and a clampscrew passed through the stem of said pentering member and into the head of said ever.

6. In a sound box construction, the combination with an apertured diaphragm, of a stylus lever having a socketed diaphragmengaging head formed with a protuberant face, and detachably mounted on said a centering member engaging the other side of the diaphragm having a diaphragm-engaging head formed with a protuberant facev and a hollow stem extending through the aperture of the diaphragm and into thesocket of said head, and a clamp-screw passed through the stem of said centering member and into the head of .said lever.

. ALBERT A. HUSEB'Y.

said diaphragm lever, 

